Glorious Grammar Girl

I think I found my alter ego. Thanks, Katelyn--Grammar Girl truly is incredible. She has a podcast every Thursday (to which I now subscribe)--love it. She covers topics from commas and usage to the subjunctive, slang, and the universal purpose of grammar. It's nice to know that there are others out there who share my passion for parallelism. Grammar Girl (aka Bonnie Trenga) wrote a book, The Curious Case of the Misplaced Modifier: it's on my summer reading list.

best mom ever

I have the number-one-best mother in the entire world. Today is her birthday, and she is absolutely amazing. Every year we go around the table at dinner and say what we like about the birthday person; I called Mom this evening to tell her one of the countless things I love about her.

My mom taught me that it doesn't matter what others think: the only people who need to be okay with what you do are yourself and the Lord. I sometimes feel weird that my social inclinations are minimal, somewhat odd because of my deep-rooted homebody tendencies; but Mom has always reassured me that as long as I'm okay with what I do and the Lord is okay with what I do, then my hermit tendencies are completely acceptable and that I'm loved regardless. I have always felt accepted by my mom (and dad as well)--I've never had to prove anything, and I've never doubted the love my mom and dad have for me.

My mom is one-hundred-percent incredible--she's the most beautiful person I know. I love her more than I could possibly articulate.

how about I just quit life?

I wish I had Moosey here to be my buddy.

It's cloudy and rainy outside, I have a cold creeping up me, and I have no motivation. Solution? Let's just quit life, okay? By quit life, I don't mean actually terminating my life, but rather I just want to not address any of my responsibilities today. I wish that I could have just left work early, not gone to class, and spent the rest of the day watching Gilmore Girls in my pajamas.

But I went to work and went to class but am at least putting off homework until I finish this one episode of GG. Here's to an afternoon/evening/night full of researching, reading, and editing with a Frosty run thrown in there.

So I'm sickish, motivationless, unusually tired and can't quit life. I state again, I wish I had Moosey here to be my buddy.

Surprise!!

Emily and I orchestrated one of the most stellar birthday present surprises we've ever done. Over five weeks ago we purchased plane tickets for Denver and didn't tell our family, or anyone at home for that matter. We kept it a secret for over a month, practically going insane because we couldn't say anything. It paid off, however, when we arrived at the airport and sent a picture of the departure gate via text/photo message to Mom and Dad.

Mom freaked out, Dad jokingly said we were crazy, we were excitedly laughing in the airport as we waited to board our 9:15 flight. Rachelle picked us up (she was the only one who knew we were coming out), and we pulled up to our house around 11:30 p.m.

It was a marvelous weekend. Most of the pictures from the weekend are on Mom's camera, so check out her blog for a more detailed account of the weekend.

ShamWow, Em and I are good at surprises.

cruel hoax

I bought several chocolate bars to make s'mores at a bonfire that I went to over the weekend, and there were still several candy bars left. I'm good at sharing and divvied many out to friends. There was one left, and I was looking forward to taking it with me to school today. I went to grab it out of the box, and there was nothing there. One of my roommates took it. And she just left the wrapping there to taunt me and my candy-bar-less self.

Cruel hoax.

affinity for bleach

I love bleach. I really do. I was trained at a very early age to utilize the powers of Soft Scrub: Mom had taught me how to clean a bathroom by the time I was eight. I am a pro at using Clorox and look hot in rubber gloves. Trust me: I know what I'm doing.

Fast forward fourteen years from when I learned to deep clean a toilet to cleaning checks last Friday. One of my roommates was gone, and so we had to split her part--which was the bathroom, and we shouldn't have had to clean her part anyway--and we failed. Seriously?!


The sink is just gross anyway. It was that grimy when I got here. Promise. (I actually never even use that sink, because it grosses me out.) Doesn't the management here know that I have Denise Wood for a mother?? Don't they know that she taught one of the top-ten life skills: cleaning a bathroom?? I was not raised to fail cleaning checks. What the heck.


I'm going to basically soak the sink in Soft Scrub tomorrow. Ridiculous.

Oh yeah, and because we apparently live in squalor, we are each charged $5.

***Edit: Please reference photo below.

No, I did not just post the same picture twice. This is the sink after I soaked it in Soft Scrub. I promise--I do know how to clean a bathroom. Just ask my mom. I'd better pass this time. Seriously.

third time's the charm?

Yesterday I got pulled over for the second time in one week and for the third time for our car. Yes--third time. Last week, I got pulled over driving through campus for 1) speeding, 2) headlight out, and 3) taillight out. Triple whammy. But no ticket--just a warning from the nice older police officer. (I've never been good at pulling the instant crying move with cops, but I was very congenial and cooperative--I think it worked in my favor.)

Monday Emily was driving back from the temple early in the morning and got pulled over for the head and tail lights again and got a "fix-it" ticket, which says to fix the lights within twenty days and then proceed to take the ticket to the police station where they'll sign off on it.

Last night around 12:30 I was driving back from dropping a friend off in American Fork when I got pulled over again for the lights. I didn't even have to show my license and registration--I just pulled out the fix-it ticket and he let me go on my way.

But yeah. Three times in one week.

just a Wednesday

• Yesterday I played the Office Trivia Game with some friends and performed poorly. I never thought that my Office knowledge would fail me so miserably.
• I loved the weather today.
• My internship with the Maxwell Institute ends at the end of the semester, and they're trying to find a new intern for the spring/summer and for the fall/winter. It's weird knowing there will be someone else there doing your job.
• I've decided that I really like March. It's off my least-favorite-months list.
• I'm still tired but have accepted it.
• I'm taking an accelerated Photoshop class on Saturday and next Wednesday.
• I'm almost caught up on "Chuck."
• I found an apartment full of guys who are hardcore "24" fans. I have a new hangout for Monday nights.

It's just a Wednesday.

ultimate daddy-daughter date

Dad and Sarah coming out to Utah for the weekend was just what I needed. They came in Friday night (Emily and I ran out to meet them, and I actually cried when I got to hug Dad), and while Dad crashed at the hotel, Emily, Sarah, and I watched the Mary-Kate-and-Ashley movie "Billboard Dad" (the ones when MK&A are younger aren't nearly as mockable as the movies where MK&A are older, e.g. "The Holiday" and "Winning London").


Saturday I met Dad for breakfast at Einstein's Bagels (Sarah spent the night in Emily's dorm, and they ate breakfast at the Cannon Center), and then we all headed up to Thanksgiving Point for the clogging competition. Her competition took place in the "Show Barn," and Emily headed up the entourage by helping Sarah change from one costume to another. (Sarah gets pretty focused when she's nervous for competition. . . .)


Sarah's team performed two numbers, and before the team numbers, there were all of these solo numbers (the free style and the all-around solos). For both of the solo sections, they played the same obnoxious music for about half an hour. Sample below :

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We were at the Show Barn until about 4:00 or 4:30 (Katelyn joined us for the first little bit), and we were definitely ready to leave. You can take only so much of the Show Barn.

After we left the competition, we went out to dinner at the Brick Oven, and we wanted to go to the basketball game (the last of the season), but all the tickets were sold. So we ended up going back to Dad's hotel room and watching the game there. We ate Oreos, cheered the Cougars, and played a game of electronic Life. (And while we played Life, we watched "Sky High" on the Disney Channel.)


It was an incredible Saturday. I got to spend time with my family, completely escape the daily grind, and recharge for the almost-last push of the semester. It was a Saturday with both my sisters and my dad: the ultimate daddy-daughter date. I can't believe I didn't get a SP of all four of us, but in the picture below, know that Sarah was off practicing her clogging, and that's why she's not in the picture. For artistry's sake, she present by not being present. . . . Ha.

Now that I'm semi-recharged, it's back to real life, in which I know that I can find daily joys and miracles. Just because most of my family aren't around most of the time doesn't mean that I can't be happy where I am. Sometimes I forget that, and I'm glad that spending time with my family helps remind me that I can always find joy through the gospel and Jesus Christ--what a blessing to have a family (both immediate and extended) that draws me closer to Christ.

just tired

I'm at that point in the semester where I just want to go home. School-wise this semester hasn't even been so crazy (however, that may be because I've started implementing the 10-6 schedule); I like most of my classes, I feel productive, I've read War and Peace for cryin' out loud. So with school, this has been a good semester.

Looking at my social level this semester, sometimes I've been down. I'm not so social to begin with--I inherited the hermit genes to be sure. Usually I'm okay with my self-imposed hermitage, but sometimes I wonder if I'm weird. Of course I have friends, and I do things--I see people and friends on a regular basis--but sometimes I can't help but wonder if I'm just a little off from everyone else. Emily's been good at reassuring me in my supposed peculiarity: she keeps telling me that I shouldn't feel bad doing things I like to do, even if it's something like watching "24" on my computer and going to bed by 11 on a Friday. I am friends with several super social people, so I try not to make that perhaps-more-extreme social behavior the standard. I'm hoping more people stay in on a Saturday night than I think.

But I'm just tired. I think I'm getting enough sleep, but it's that kind of tired where you're physically, mentally, and emotionally spent. I have to remember that I'm in that part of the semester when you can see the end but that end is still just far enough away to not get excited about yet: I feel this unique exhaustion every year, and every time I just want to go home for a little bit, even a weekend. (Plus it probably doesn't help that I haven't heard from my family much in the past week--oh musical season.)

To satiate my need for some interaction with home, Dad and Sarah are driving out to Utah today (they obviously aren't coming out just because I want them to, but Sarah has a clogging competition tomorrow up in American Fork). I have seriously been living for today when I get to see my dad and baby sister for the first time in over two months. Maybe spending a mere thirty-six hours (probably less) with them can help kick me into gear for the last stretch of the semester.

I'm just so tired.

one of the greatest desires of my heart

Yesterday I got a Sunday afternoon. And in my college experience, a Sunday afternoon is almost completely unheard of. I had stake conference yesterday, and so by 12:00 noon I was cruising down Center Street on my way home and not getting ready to jet up to campus as I would usually be doing on a Sunday at noon. I got home, ate peanut butter toast for lunch, and sat down and enjoyed several chapters of Alma.


I napped for a half hour or so, and then Emily and Brooke came over. We made dinner (Parmesan chicken and white rice) to inaugurate my new $3-a-piece Target plates.


While we ate dinner, we watched High School Musical 3--ShamWow.


After HSM3, we made brownies. Below is a picture of Brooke and Emily licking the bowl.


And Emily got a hold of my camera and graced me with this lovely image.


Ah how I love a Sunday afternoon.

my shining literary accomplishment

Don't overestimate me and think that I wrote a piece of literature; but rather I finished reading one of the greater pieces of world literature:


Yes, I read War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. No joke. All 1368 pages. I finished it about a week ago and am still reveling in my reading accomplishment. I wish I could put this on my resume under the heading "Random Awesome Things about Me": starting and finishing War and Peace should definitely make me a more marketable employee--I am dedicated!

I loved it: Even though this work is of epic proportions with dozens of characters and a plot that spans a decade or so, I felt connected to the characters. The character development was beautiful (no surprise--this is Leo Tolstoy we're talking about), and I stayed motivated up through the 1000-page mark; after that my favorite character died (I won't say who in case any of you want to read this someday) and my enthusiasm started waning. But I read it!

I read War and Peace!! Now on to Anna Karenina. I love my Tolstoy class. :)